A Long Island church community is praying for healing after a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue was found beheaded in what police are now investigating as a possible hate crime.

According to Suffolk County Police, the vandalism happened at the Church of St. Mary in East Islip, New York, where parishioners discovered the damaged statue during a spring planting project last Saturday morning. The statue’s head was reportedly found discarded in nearby bushes.

The church’s pastor, Rev. Anthony Iaconis, told The Christian Post that volunteers initially did not realize the statue had been vandalized until they came across the missing head.

“We had a group doing the spring planting, the flowers and everything, and they found the head not too far away in the bushes,” Iaconis said.

He explained that security camera footage later revealed one individual carrying out the act against the statue, which was made of resin and fiberglass and had stood on the church property for about 15 years.

While investigators have not publicly identified a motive, Suffolk County Police called in the Hate Crimes Unit to assist with the case. The incident has deeply disturbed longtime parish members and others in the surrounding community.

“I think everyone would be upset by it, whether you belong to this parish or not, or whether you’re Catholic or Jewish, it doesn’t really matter,” parishioner Regina Vavricka told News 12. Vavricka and her husband have attended the church for nearly six decades.

The vandalism comes amid a broader rise in hostility toward churches across the United States. According to the Family Research Council, which tracks incidents targeting churches nationwide, there were 1,384 documented acts of hostility against churches between January 2018 and December 2024. Those incidents included vandalism, arson, bomb threats, and gun-related crimes, with vandalism being the most common.

“These acts are destructive and have the potential to intimidate religious communities. Therefore, they deserve to be condemned,” the organization stated.

Despite the disturbing act, Iaconis said he is choosing to respond with compassion rather than fear. He noted that another statue on the property was vandalized roughly 30 years ago, though incidents like this remain rare in the area.

“In this area, I’m not so concerned,” he said. “This is something that happens occasionally out here, but it’s disheartening.”

The pastor also offered a heartfelt message to the person responsible.

“For somebody to do this, they can’t, obviously, they’re not in their right mind, and I just ask people to pray for them,” Iaconis said. “If you need help, ask for it. Destroying things is not gonna do you any good.”

Church leaders say they have already contacted a contractor to repair the statue.